Web feeding and slitting mechanism



9, 1932- H. A. w. WOOD 1,870,545

' WEB FEEDING AND SLITTING MECHANISM Original Filed May 26 1926 5Sheets-Sheet 1 Aug. 9, 1932. H. A. w. WOOD WEB FEEDING AND SLITTINGMECHANISM Original Filed May 26, 1926 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 g- 9, 1932- H. A.w. WOOD 1,870,545

WEB FEEDING AND SLITTING MECHANISM Original Fi'ld May 26 1926 5Sheets-Sheet C5 1 Patented Aug. 9, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFIQEHENRY A. WISE WOOD, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO WOOD NEWSPAPER MA-CHINERY CORPORATION, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A. CORPORATION OF VIRGINIA WEBFEEDING AND SLITTING MECHANISM.

Original application filed May 26, 1926, Serial No. 111,787. Divided andthis application filed April 6, 1929.

Serial No.

This is a. division of my application for patent, Serial No. 111,787,filed May 26, 1926 on a high speed printing press.

The chief objects of this invention are to provide for properlyregistering the webs for printing before they are passed to the folderand after they are slitted; to provide means that can be made to bearequally on a thick web on one side of the machine and a thin web on theother as the web passes to the drag roll; to provide means whereby theweb is adjusted before it enters the folder so that the head and tailmargins will be in line with each other and means for equalizing anyuneven tension which the web may have at that time, thus removingstresses from the web; to provide improvements in the slitters for thepurpose of evening out any inequality in the web due to uneven rollsofpaper; to provide independent drives for the propellers and slittersso as to permit their adjustment on one half the machine withoutdisturbing those on the other half, and to provide an improved supportfor the propellers to permit of these adjustments.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear hereinafter.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings in which Fig. 1 is aplan of the drag roller propellers and slitters with parts omitted,showing a preferred form of this invention;

Fig. 2 is an elevation of the same showing the formers;

Fig. 3 is an endview of the same from the rear side as indicated by thearrow 3 in Fig. 1 and on a larger scale;

Fig. 4c is a detail view of the slitters and propellers on an enlargedscale;

Fig. 5 is an end view as indicated by the arrow 3 in Fig. 1;

Fig. 6 is an end view showing the relation of the propeller and itssupporting elements to the drag roll, and

Fig. 7 is a similar view showing the adjusting means for the whole setof propellers.

A vertical shaft 62 on a folder frame 61 is the driving shaft of thefolder. Near the top of this shaft are beveled gears 63 driving a trainof gears 6e and through that a drag roll 66.

The drag roll 66 itself, as has been stated, is rotated positively withits shaft. By gears 67 on both ends, the drag roll rotates two shafts 68and 69 through gears 67 each being provided with slitters 70. In thiscase the drag roll and slitters cooperate, the roll being grooved toprovide for these slitters. In dependent drives 67 are provided on theopposite ends of the drag roll for the two slitter shafts 68 and 69 forthe purpose of permitting the raising and lowering of these shafts aswell as the shafts 80, on one part of the machine without disturbingthose on the other. This is useful when running a web only two pageswide or when running a greater number of webs on one-half the drag rollthan on the other.

It will be noticed that the slitter shaft 68 is provided with a squarehole, or at least a non-circular one, and that an extension 72 of thisslitter shaft is provided with a corresponding sliding key so that oneshaft will operate the other and we have two slitters at power. Theseslitter shafts are mounted on arms 7 3, which are pivoted on a shaft 74so that the slitters can be moved out and in toward the drag roll 66.For this purpose. each arm 78 is provided with an operating arm 75 witha bolt or screw 76 for adjusting it in a slot 77 in the arm. The bolt 76is supported on the frame of the folder and the arm 75 can be adjustedout and in to regulate thev "35 this end of the drag roll operated bythe same pressure of the slitter or move it entirely out of contact withthe drag roll.

In a similar way there is a cross shaft 80 which carries a series ofarms 81 individually pivoted thereon. On the end of each of them thereis a propeller roll 8% adapted to rest on the drag roll and keep the webagainst the drag roll to preserve the web speed and keep the paper fromwrinkling and for the usual purposes for which these rolls are provided.Fixed on the shaft 80 is an upwardly eXtending arm 82. Two thumb screws83 are supported on the frame on opposite sides of the arm 82. These areused to adjust the shaft 80 as a whole.

Each of the arms 81 is independently adjustable on this shaft. The shaftis provided with arms 85 fixed thereon and provided with spring pressedpins 86 which are pivotally connected with the arms 81 individually.These pins are adjusted longitudinally by hand wheels 87 and spiralgears 88 so that each propeller roller 84 can be adjusted to the dragroll with the desired pressure and all of the propeller rolls can bedrawn back or pushed forward at once without disturbin their individualadjustment by the hand wheel 87.

At each side of the center slitter is a propeller individuallyadjustable so that at, or near, the slitting instant the sheet on eachside of the slitter may be properly controlled. On one side of the pressmore webs may be running than on the other side of the press, i. e.there might be six thicknesses of web on the left-hand side and four onthe right-hand side. It is obvious that if one propeller were used, itwill not bear properly on the thinner side of the web and on the thickerside. This is remedied by using at each side of a slitter anindependently adjustable propeller, which has made a great improvement.One can be set for the thick webs and the other for the thin webs.

The propeller rollers can be drawn back entirely out of the way in thesame way as the slitters by a handle 89 and held back by an adjustingbolt 90 similar to the adjusting bolt 76. The provision for controllingthe slitting of the web at one end of the drag roll independently ofthat of the other and the corresponding adjustment of the propellerrolls provides important advantages. More webs can be carried on oneside of the drag roll than on the other. WVhen the web is only two pageswide the propellers and slitters on one end can be entirely thrown out,leaving the rest of the roll to operate in the usual way. The usualformers 92 are supported in position to receive the webs from the dragroll.

The web is fed in any one of anumber of different ways to the formersover the drag roll 66 which cooperates with propeller rolls 84 tocontact with the web thereon and keep it going at web speed which is thesurface speed of the drag rolls. Slitters 7 O are mounted in a similarway, the propellers and slitters being provided with spring pressed oradjustable means for holding them in position. The propeller supportshaft 80 is adjustable circumferentially and adapted to be held inadjusted position by the adjusting means itself. The slitter shaft ismade up of independent parts so that either one of them can be drawnback when the machine is being used for a web of less than full widthAlso one of the slitter shafts is made with a removable extension 72having a slitter thereon for a similar purpose.

Although I have illustrated and described only a single form of theinvention I am aware of the fact that modifications can be made thereinby any person skilled in the art without departing from the scope of theinvention as expressed in the claims. Therefore, I do not wish to belimited in this respect but what I claim is 1. In a web feeding device,the combination with a drag roller, and means for positively driving thedrag roller, of a slitting shaft having a slitting knife thereon forcooperatingwith the drag roller to slit the web longitudinally, positivemeans for driving the slitting shaft from the drag roller and meanswhereby the slitting shaft can be swung away from the drag roller andheld in fixed position away from it.

2. In a web forwarding device, the combination with a drag roll andmeans for driving it, of a plurality of slitting shafts, each having arotary slitter thereon and arranged in axial alignment, means fordriving said slitting shafts from the opposite ends of the drag roller,and means whereby either of said slitting shafts can be moved away fromthe drag roll and held in fixed position away from it.

3. In a slitting device, the combination with a drag roll, of twoslitter shafts having a telescoping non-circular connection at theiradjacent ends, by which they can be connected or disconnected, a slitteron each shaft adapted to coact with the drag roll to provide twoslitting couples, a support for said shafts, and means for positivelydriving one of said shafts.

4. In a paper web feeding device, the combination with a drag roll,means for positively driving the drag roll, a slitting shaft having aslitting knife thereon for cooperating with the drag roll to slit theweb longitudinally, positive means for driving the slitting shaft fromthe drag roll and means whereby the slitting shaft can be swung awayfrom the drag roll and held in fixed pos1- tion away from it, of anauxiliary shaft connected with one of said slitter shafts in such a wayas to be positively rotated thereby, and means for supporting it to movewith the slitter shaft with which it is connected.

5. In a web forwarding device,-the combination with a drag roll, meansfor positively driving it, two slitter shafts adjacent thereto and inalignment with each other, and slitters on each of said shafts to slitthe web in different places along the width thereof, of means wherebyeither of said slitter shafts can be moved independently of the other toan inactive position, and held therein, without affecting the positionof the other shaft.

6. The combination with a drag roll for forwarding a web of paper, of asupporting shaft parallel therewith, a series of arms loosely mounted onsaid shaft, each having a propeller roll loosely mounted thereon forengaging the drag roll, a corresponding series of arms fixed to saidshaft, springs for yieldingly forcing the free arms toward the dragroll, and means for adjusting the tension of said springs independentlyof each other.

7. The combination of a positively driven drag roll for forwarding a webof paper, a supporting shaft, a series of arms loosely mounted on saidshaft, a propeller roll loosely mounted on each arm for engaging thedrag roll, a corresponding series of arms fixed to said shaft andprojecting upwardly, springs for yieldingly forcing the free arms towardthe drag roll, means for adjusting the tension of said springsindependently of each other, and means for turning the supporting shaftback to remove all the propellers from contact with the drag roll.

8. The combination of a positively driven drag roll for forwarding a webof paper, a supporting shaft, a slitter engaging the web on the dragroll, a series of arms loosely mounted on said shaft, a propeller rollloosely mounted on each arm for engaging the drag roll on opposite sidesof the slitter, and means for turning the supporting shaft back toremove all the propellers from contact with the drag roll and retainthem in retracted position.

9. The combination of a drag roll for forwarding a web, a slitterbearing on the drag roll, a propeller roll on each side of the slitter,means for independently adjusting each propeller roll and means forretaining it in adjusted position.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto affixed my signature.

HENRY A. WISE WOOD.

